Sonic the Hedgehog (1993), Episode 1.03: Ultra Sonic

Sonic the Hedgehog (1993), Episode 1.03: Ultra Sonic
Original Air Date: October 2nd, 1993

The third proper episode of “SatAM,” which has another non-indicative title, comes from the pen of David Villaire. A veteran cartoon writer, Villaire largely worked on “The Smurfs,” Hanna-Barbara's “Godzilla” cartoon, whatever the fuck “Dinky Dog” is, and assorted garbage like “The Gary Coleman Show” and the “Happy Days” cartoons. “Ultra Sonic” is only one of two “Sonic” episodes Villaire would write. Despite his relatively brief involvement with Sega's blue hedgehog, his contribution to series' lore was significant.

Ya see, “Ultra Sonic” would be the proper introduction of Uncle Chuck. Sonic and Sally once again travel into Robotropolis, this time to sabotage Robotnik's latest roboticizer. After the slightly botched mission, they meet up with the other Freedom Fighters. That's when Sonic catches sight of his Uncle Chuck, now a hostile robot slave. One touch of a magical Power Ring is enough to restore Charles' free will. He leads the team into the tunnels under the city, where Robotnik is using a giant robot dinosaur to mine for powerful crystals. Yet the Power Rings effects are only temporary, meaning Uncle Chuck is left as a mindless robot by the mission's end.

As a kid, I remember almost every episode of “SatAM” beginning with Sonic and Sally sneaking into Robotropolis to fuck-up a new factory or invention of Robotnik's. Three episodes in and that recollection is holding true. “Ultra Sonic” begins with a somewhat off-balanced sequence. Sonic and Sally's interaction in the beginning is bitchier and pettier than usual. Sonic seems more vain than usual, actually admiring himself in a mirror. After the two's location is given away, Snively attempts to flush them out with fire extinguishing foam, an odd move. This leads to a weirdly tension free air chase, with Sonic and Sally dangling off a flying platform.

That's just the beginning though because, once Sonic and Sally meet up with the other Freedom Fighters, “Ultra Sonic” becomes pretty damn good. This is the first time in the series we've actually seen the Freedom Fighters working as a team and, holy shit, it is satisfying. Everyone slots into their traditional roles. Bunnie is sweet but uses her super-strength multiple times. Rotor is the tech expert, helping the gang operate one of Robotnik's underground trains. Sonic is the brash action hero, Sally the observant leader, and Antoine the goofy comic relief. I mean, shit, I even found the joke about Antoine mixing up the phrase “piece of cake” with another desert to be pretty funny. Watching the Freedom Fighters working together to undo one of Robotnik's plots always leaves me smiling.

Though he was referenced in the pilot, “Ultra Sonic” let's us finally meet Uncle Chuck. And he makes a pretty great first impression. Upon having his original personality restored, Sonic's uncle comes across as an extremely cool old guy. He happily leaps down an elevator shaft, sliding down on the ropes, prompting Sonic to point out how damn neat his uncle is. Later, he climbs into the mouth of a damn robot dinosaur, leading the way. This is a character so determined that he doesn't pause to get too sentimental after having his free will restored, instead focusing on the mission that needs to be done.

Uncle Chuck is brought to life by William Windom, a character actor with only a few other animation credits that had been appearing on television and in film since the forties. Windom's voice is wizened and nicely raspy,  suggesting an almost archetypal cool older dude.

What makes Uncle Chuck's presence even more meaningful is the emotions his condition brings to the story. There's no big flashing lights when the Power Ring works its magic on Chuck. Instead, he holds the ring and simply has his personality restored. He hugs Sonic, so thankful to see his nephew again, the robot actually crying. How a robot cries isn't a question worth asking, because the moment is so damn sweet. After the Ring's magic wears off, as he struggles to hold onto his soul as Robotnik's cruel programming starts to take hold again, Sonic is deeply wounded. He actually cries – Sonic fucking cries, in clear violation of Sega's yet-to-be-enforced mandates – because he came so close to getting his beloved uncle back, just to loose him again.

The only way the other Freedom Fighters can console him is to promise they'll get Uncle Chuck back. Rotor notes that they'll get all their families back, suggesting all of the Freedom Fighters might have loved ones stolen away by Robotnik's roboticization process. In other words: Everyone on this team has dealt with these feelings of lost, these feelings of pain, of helplessness. Which is pretty fucking powerful for a cheesy kids cartoon made to sell a video game.

As good as “Ultra Sonic” is, it certainly doesn't make you forget its a somewhat cheaply produced cartoon. The animation gets a bit choppy a time. A fight scene between the Freedom Fighters and a robot – which, coincidentally, somewhat resembles E-102 Gamma nearly a decade before he was created – is very awkwardly assembled. The episode opens with an unintentionally hilarious moment of Sonic and Sally running through a hallway, the audio of them gasping for breath in a rhythmic matter playing on a loop... Which can't help but come off as rather suggestive. And pairs amusingly enough with some very strangely animated shots of Sonic and Sally crawling through the air vents, the hedgehog's ass looking huge for no reason.

The writing is kind of weird at times too. The giant robot that is moving the crystal is interchangeably referred to as both the Dinobot and the T-Bot, as if someone realized, halfway through production of the episode, that Hasbro might sue them for using the phrase “Dinobot.” What exactly this giant energy crystal Robotnik plans to exploit does is never truly explained either. We are left to assume that, much like the Power Rings, it has magical properties of its own. I guess its possible the show creators might've been inspired by the video games' Chaos Emeralds? After all, those plot devices have been present since the very first game.

So despite some pretty serious flaws, “Ultra Sonic” is an episode that really displays what made “SatAM” such a special show. Outside of “Batman: The Animated Series,” was there any other kids cartoon on the air in the early nineties that made its hero look so vulnerable, that acknowledge so openly that the good guys don't win in every way, all the time? And from a show about a blue fucking hedgehog that runs fast. Amazing. [8/10]